STEPHEN Ireland will put pen to paper on a new long-term contract next week secure in the knowledge that Stuart Pearce sees him as a major part of the Blues future.

Two first-team starts, coupled with the right attitude on the training ground and in the reserves, have been enough for City to rip up the deal they handed the 19-year-old midfielder only last summer.

Cork-raised Ireland - who is qualified to play for England, Italy and the Republic of Ireland and hails from the same junior club that spawned Roy Keane - is now committed to City until the end of the 2008-2009 season.

And boss Pearce could hardly hide his delight at securing another of the club's youngsters on a lengthy agreement.

Bond

"Stephen is learning all the time because he is a bright footballer and he will get better and better with experience, match by match," declared Pearce.

"He might hit the wall in a couple of games but if he doesn't then he will stay in the side.

"Stevie has been here for a long time, having been at the Academy, and he has developed a bond with the club.

"He hasn't surprised me with his ability. The only concern I had about him was: Would he be able to handle the pressures of the first team and the Premiership?

"What has paid dividends for us in that respect is that we took quite a number of young players to Thailand with us in pre-season. He lived with the senior players and has since handled the step-up well.

Career

"We haven't based our decision to give Stevie a new deal on just the last two games, which everyone outside Manchester City has seen.

"He only signed a new contract in the summer but I believed his football and attitude since then were deserving of more.

"This deal sends a message, there is no doubt about that. Young lads here know that, if they are playing well, then they can break through into the first team and will be rewarded."

Ireland faces the stiffest test of his fledgling career at Highbury tomorrow, when he could come face-to-face with one of his favourite players, Dennis Bergkamp.

"Playing for the first team has probably come sooner than I thought it would, and all I want to do is keeping proving myself," he said.

"I'd love to fill the playmaker role. There are not many playmakers around in the mould of old-fashioned `in the hole' players like Bergkamp, and that is how I like to play. But I am very happy in central midfield, too."